Toronto’s Best New Restaurants: Harry’s Charbroil

I’ve heard gossip that Grant van Gameren, the relentlessly successful chef behind Bar Raval and Bar Isabel, has no less than a dozen new business concepts in the works. Maybe it’s Bunyan-esque hyperbole, but it squares with the past year, when he opened three: the mescal-centric El Rey (No. 17 on this list), a cocktail bar called Pretty Ugly and this spot, a takeover of an ancient Parkdale diner.

He left the look intact, including the patchwork linoleum floors, smoky-mirrored walls and tabletop jukeboxes (last updated circa “Beat It”). The short-order menu, however, has been van Gameren-ized. Be sure to get the burger with a green chorizo patty, its heat slightly tempered by a sweet tomatillo relish. I’m also a fan of the skirt steak on a bun, which is especially good dipped in a bowl of gravy (by request), and the Miami-style ribs, which are sweet, tender and paired with a tart green sauce. Nearly everything comes with chunky fries. They’re crispy and addictive, though I’d try to save room for a dessert special like cherry crumble with vanilla ice cream. Experience Harry’s while you can: it sits next to a now-closed No Frills and one of the neighbourhood’s last-surviving parking lots—in other words, prime condo territory.

160 Springhurst Ave., 416-532-2908